Composition and Collage Making

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Through making a physical stage model you will be practising on arranging physical three-dimensional units made by foam and cardboard in a composition. Through series of 10 practices, you will learn to apply proper rules governing connections between different proportions, altering the background / foreground, and having more control on tonal values over manipulating light directions and extracting shadows. This physical 3D model is your source of inspiration assisting you to create 2D composition through drawing techniques applying a medium of your choice.    

In course five you will be following a balance in a composition through considering useful observation in essential facts such as, size, form, texture, distance, accent, position, density, positive and negative space, weight, and focal point, which is intuitively comfortable for the viewer.     

Every component in a painting has a degree of pulling power. Each has attraction for the eye, while each draws attention to itself, it detracts from every other part proportionately. Balance is an opposition of elements that creates stabilized interaction and harmony between the components.  The result is the state of balance in line, form, mass, emptiness, lightness/darkness, and balance in measure.   

Every painting is a collection of units or items and each unit has a given value. This value depends on its attraction and its attraction varies according to placement. For instance, you should consider that, a unit near the edge has more attraction than some unit at the middle and a space in between, without detail, may possess attraction by gradation and by suggestion.  A unit of attraction in an otherwise empty space has more weight through isolation than when placed with other units. Another main factor is the scale of brightness and darkness in a composition. A black unit on white or a white unit on black has more attraction than the same unit on grey. This value is also proportionate to the size of the space that contrast with it.  

The other important element in a composition you should follow, is a united central point, which means that, two or more associated units may be reckoned as one. Their united central point is the point in which they balance with others.  

The process of making a collage is such an encouragement allows you manipulating visual elements in order to achieve a well balance space in painting. The entire process needs having strong background of drawing, being sufficiently familiar with the concept of form, and being able to accomplish an understandable connection between the units in a composition.

Admittedly, in some point collage making is such an overwhelming practice of art. In fact, making a balance between different units in a composition through arranging diverse textures and patterns is challenging. Particularly, creating harmony between similar and dissimilar forms as well as embark upon too many tones of colors, patterns, irrelevant marks, and their effects on each other is an exciting practice which needs hours of practice to operate those visual elements in painting. Students are always encouraged to refer to any source image as a best solution having better control over arranging different layers of marks and textures completing the painting.  

In this course, throughout series of practices, you will be allowing yourself exploring new involvement with nature reflecting organic patterns and textures in your art making an influential relationship between diverse and irrelevant features. 

Course 6 materials and equipment